When you have a season following two amazing acquisitions in the likes of Jameis Winston and Kwon Alexander, it’s a tough act to follow.
In the NFL, rookies can become your franchise guy just as much as they can not make the team at all. But as we look at the rookies from this year, it’s tough not to analyze and hope that someday these rookies will lead us to the promise land!
Being a Florida Gator fan notwithstanding, I have been a big Vernon Hargreaves guy. He has 12 tackles and one pass defend so far this year, and although he hasn’t had the INT totals, he has been involved in plays. He, just like all the rest, are growing and he will be a playmaker for this team.
Then we move to Noah Spence, this kid can play. He had some issues coming in as we all know, but it seems as though his off the field issues are behind him. Spence did record his first NFL sack against Arizona but has been quiet overall thus far in his career. Could it be his presence hasn’t been unleashed due to situational play? All we fans can hope for is that he comes around quickly. -Next week against Denver would be nice.
Roberto Aguayo, some of you get frustrated just reading that name, look, he is a rookie who was perfect at FSU (believe me, as a Gator fan, it was terrible to experience). Yes, he is 33.3 percent right now, with one missed extra point, but the Bucs aren’t going to panic, yet, because they not only drafted him the second round, but they also traded up to do so! –He will come around, I believe that.
One more rookie I’d like highlight is Bond, Devonte Bond; This linebacker was drafted in the sixth-round and I was very excited that we added depth to this position. Sadly, he has spent this season on IR due to a hamstring injury. I’m hopeful he’ll be able to make a contribution to this team because he had a good college career.
The bottom line is this.
These are rookies. They are going to miss tackles, make mistakes, and probably frustrate you with missing extra points. I am hopeful that these guys will come into their game, and help us build this team into the playoffs, and eventually back to that trophy that has eluded us since 2003. Believe in the rookies. Believe in the front office, who drafted them, and above all, believe in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers!